“Yes. We’ll need it for warmth if we’re going to wait out the day in here—and get some sleep. I didn’t sleep at all last night,” Pharis said.
“Neither did I.”
Unfortunately, the floor here was as hard as it had been in the dungeon. At least there wasn’t a stench.
All I could smell was Dargan, who wasn’t bad at all, and Pharis—who smelled very, very good as all Elven men did.
I wished I’d asked Stellon why. I certainly wouldn’t be asking Pharis.
Taking off his cloak, he laid it on the cave floor and invited me to sit on it.
“You’re not cold?” I asked.
He shrugged. “It’ll be warm in here soon.”
Grateful for the chance to rest, I took him up on his offer. The cloak was soft and thicker than I would have expected. I actually felt comfortable, as it blocked the cold from the ground.
During my time in Stellon’s suite, I’d discovered Elven-made fabrics were nothing like the human version I’d grown up with. The clothing felt lighter but warmer somehow, and its drape was more flattering.
The bed linens were nothing short of heavenly. Thinking back on waking in that enormous, luxurious bed in Stellon’s suite, my heart gave a sharp pang.
When my eyes had opened that morning, I’d caught him watching me intently as he sketched me. He’d made me feel seen in a way no one ever had, and he’d taken care of me in a way I hadn’t experienced since childhood when my mother was still alive.
I would never see him again, never feel that way again.
Stellon was who he was, and I was who I was, and the world was the way it was. It had no tolerance for love between a human woman and an Elven man.
Even less for a human commoner and an Elven prince.
I watched as Pharis went to Dargan’s saddle bag, coming back with a small, bumpy ball in his hand. It looked something like a lump of coal but imbedded with crystals.
He squatted before me, rubbing the object rapidly between his hands then dropping it to the ground when it began to spark. Within moments, there was a fire roaring between us.
It was astonishing. “What about the smoke? Will it give away our position?”
“Auspex fire doesn’t create smoke,” he said. “Are you beginning to warm up?”
I nodded. I was warm but thirsty, and I hadn’t had anything to eat since early the night before. I wasn’t even sure the dungeon rations qualified as food.
As if reading my mind, Pharis went back to the saddlebag and extracted a flask and a wrapped bundle. He handed me both.
Taking a drink, I recognized the taste of saol water. In the cloth was a bread roll and another food I didn’t recognize. Shaped like a thin stick, it was wrinkled and dry but felt heavy in my hand.
“What is it?” I asked.
“Raff—it’s a blend of salted, dehydrated meat, dried berries, fat, and hard, aged cheese. It’s not the most delicious thing, but I wasn’t sure how long we’d be traveling so I brought along some non-perishable food. It can last for years without going rancid.”
Nodding rapidly, I took a bite and followed it with a large swig of the water. Pharis needn’t have given me the disclaimer—both tasted amazing.
After swallowing, I said, “Thank you. It’s perfect,” and took another drink.
Pharis looked up from the fire and gave me a small grin. “Got you hooked on the saol water, did we? Be careful with it though, it can be intoxicating to humans.”
I laughed. “I know.”
His brows pulled together. “Stellon got you drunk on saol water?”
“I got myself drunk on saol water. Stellon was a perfect gentleman.”
